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Date and Time

Location

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event

Event description

Description

Join us for a unique opportunity to take a 9km or a 17km night walk along the forest tracks and walking paths through the Galway Wind Park under the light of a full moon. Organised with support from Coillte and SSE Ireland, proceeds from this event will be used to support Galway Mountain Rescue Team's long-term objective of constructing a dedicated mountain rescue base.

The full route is 17km long, with an altitude gain of 384m.

The shorter option is 9km long, with an altitude gain of 185m (the northern half of the full Fig-8 route).

Participants will be briefed on the walk and will be given a copy of the Walk Route Map. Participants can opt to walk with one of the organised groups which will each be led by a member of Galway Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT) or they can choose to follow the route independently with their own friends/family. In either case, they will meet route marshals along the way who will assist if required.

Further details on the event are available on http://howlatthemoon.ie

FAQs:

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

The event is open to adults and children aged 12 to 17. Children must be accompanied by an adult aged at least 23 years at all times.

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?

Parking will be available wihtin the Wind Park and a shuttle bus will ferry participants between the car park and the start

What can I bring into the event?

Participants are advised to prepare carefully for this event and to check the weather forecast in advance. Suitable footwear (i.e. walking boots or sturdy trail runners) and a waterproof/windproof jacket are essential. As this is a long walk on gravel trails in darkness, we suggest all participants should carry a small backpack containing some food, water (or a hot drink), spare clothes (an extra fleece layer, a hat, a pair of gloves) and a small First Aid kit. Walkers should also carry a fully charged mobile phone and a torch/head torch.

Can I bring my dog?While we are sure your dog is awesome, he/she cannot join us on the night. While we are also big fans of dogs, we cannot be sure that everyone who is participating will feel the same way.

For a booking for an organised group, what is the adult per child ratio required ? (e.g. Scout Group, Foróige, TY students etc.)The adult per child ratio for organised youth groups is 1:6. Please note that adults are required to stay with the children for the duration of the night walk. If you have any questions You can send an e-mail to our registration co-ordinator Mary O’Shea or tweet at us on @howlatmoon_ie

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

You can send an e-mail to our registration co-ordinator Mary O’Shea at mary@gmrt.ie or tweet at us on @howlatmoon_ie

What are the ticket prices?

Early bird adults are €20 and children (12-17 y/o) are €10 apiece till the 5th of October.

From the 6th of October, adult tickets will increase to €30 and child tickets will remain at €10 apiece. Family tickets will no longer be on sale.

What is the refund policy?

Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event, no refunds thereafter.

Do I need to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No thanks. A print out of registered attendees will be at registration for confirming your details.

Looking forward to Howl at the Moon 2019 and preparations are well underway. Here’s hoping for a few clear glimpses of the full moon.

For ease of registration on the night, if each of you could click into your confirmation email from Eventbrite (back when you purchased your ticket) and update your contact details with names and contact numbers. Some of you registered for a family or a group or a friend, but tickets showing as multiples of the same person currently e.g. 3 x John Smith. This will save us a bunch of time on the night.

If you have any issue updating your registration, please email mary@gmrt.ie and I can update your registration for you.

A few further details below to prepare you and your fellow walkers for Saturday night.

What time do we need to be there?

Walkers can start the walk at anytime between 6pm and 7:30pm, so our car park will open at 5:30pm – we suggest walkers should arrive sometime between 5:30pm and 7pm.

How do I get there?

If using Google Maps to navigate, enter Eircode H91 K46D to navigate directly to our car park. Otherwise, most participants will travel to Oughterard on the N59 and then turn on to the Shanapheasteen Road near the church and bridge (turn left before the bridge if coming from Galway; turn right after the bridge if coming from Maam Cross). Participants coming from south Connemara can travel via the Shanapheasteen Road from Casla / Rossaveal.

Where do I park?

Our parking marshals will be on duty at our car park (Eircode H91 K46D) from 5:30pm. Please co-operate with our parking marshals and be sure to reverse park – this is a requirement of our hosts, SSE Ireland. The parking area is 1km from the Start/Finish Area and we will have a minibus on site to shuttle participants between these locations. You can help us by (1) car-pooling where possible and (2) by using our drop-off zone at the Start/Finish Area.

Participants approaching the site from Oughterard will come to the Start/Finish Area first and will there be directed onwards to the parking area. However, cars with multiple occupants will have the opportunity to use a drop-off zone at the Start/Finish Area. This will only accommodate a handful of cars and can only be used for a maximum of two minutes, so if you would like to drop your passengers before parking your car they will need to be ready to go! This system could ease pressure on our minibus shuttle, but it will only work well if your passengers are ready to hop out of the car in their walking clothes and grab their bag from the boot in double-quick time! If the drop-off zone is full as you approach you will be waved on to the parking area.

Do I need to print my ticket?

No. Registration will have a hardcopy and can check you in online. Save the trees!

Are there toilet facilities on the site? Are there bins on site?

Yes – there will be Portaloos at the Start/Finish Area and at the Halfway Point. Out event is following a Leave NO Trace ethos, where participants must leave no rubbish or food behind. There will be rubbish bins in the catering areas, but these will have a limited capacity.

Are refreshments provided?

There will be a very limited range of snacks at the Halfway Point, and hot drinks and a broader variety of food at the Finish point. Participants are encouraged to bring their own food and drinks and water bottles for the duration of the walk – no refreshments will be available before the walk starts.

If I feel unwell, or get injured, what should I do?

Call GMRT Control on 087 179 8394, explain the problem and give them your location – you can use National Grid References, nearby Turbine Numbers, the number of the last marshal you passed etc. If you cannot contact GMRT Control by phone due to a lack of phone signal, then ask a companion to go forward or backwards on the route to contact the nearest Route Marshal, or ask a passing GMRT Walk Leader for assistance. The phone number for GMRT Control will be on the Route Map you will receive at the Registration Tent before you commence your walk.

How do I follow the route?

There will be signs at some junctions and marshals at others – they will point you in the right direction. The Route Map you receive at the Registration Tent will also be helpful. If you use ViewRanger or another GPS-based navigational device, you may find the attached .gpx file useful, as it provides you with an accurate track to follow using your GPS device. To load this device into ViewRanger on your phone, you need to:

Download the .gpx file from this email to your phone

Open the ViewRanger app and click the three dots (usually top right) to open the menu

Are there any cut-off times that I need to know about?

Yes, in order to avoid GMRT having to keep our volunteers on-site into the early hours of the morning, there are two cut-off points you should be aware of:

Walkers intending to do the 17km walk who have not reached Checkpoint 2 for the first time by 8:30pm will be asked to switch immediately to the 9km route instead.

Walkers following either the 9km or 17km route who have not reached Route Marshal 6 by 11pm may be asked to accept a lift in a GMRT vehicle back to the Start/Finish Area.

What Health and Safety advice do I need to heed?

Our Howl at the Moon event takes place within a large Wind Park operated by SSE Ireland on Coillte property. We are very grateful to both organisations for their co-operation, but we must remind you of some key safety considerations: